More Statistics!

 Got the A1c report this morning and we're down to 7.2, last reading a few weeks ago in early July was 7.4. I didn't expect to break that 7 mark this time, but the downward trend is still good. Will keep going and will probably have another test by the end of the year, if not sooner. 

My triglycerides were through the roof, though. Every other test was normal and in range. The cholesterol, LDL/HDL, the Liver Enzymes (thanks, liver! You're an asset to the organization), the PT/INR (for the blood clotting situation and meds I take to keep from getting clots again like 10 years ago). 

But damn if them there triglycerides aren't just whack. They've always been higher than the "range" (ie: under 150, I think I got down to 190 in 2020) but 335 is ... whooooooooo wowwie!

The doctor's note said to eat a low carb diet, (ha!), don't eat fried foods (aside from one plate of fried scallops on vacation, I've not had anything fried for months and months), and get exercise (working on it and doing a lot more than the last test...) so I'm wondering why they're so high. 

Doug said that too much alcohol and not enough exercise can contribute to this, but I'll be honest, compared to this past winter, the alcohol consumption by this specific vessel is a fraction of the past. I'm wondering if this is just weird/off/wrong? 

Something to put a pin in for future discussion. Wheeeeee lookee thar. Gotta bring that sucker down.

As I'm reading graphs and looking at numbers and all, I am thinking of Geoff. He's at his first clinical day today for phlebotomy, but hopefully this time next year he'll be working in a medical lab running these very same tests. 

He is down at an health center in Capitol Hill. His program was so kind do him to find him a more local spot to do his clinical, but I kind of wish he was with another student from the program, it makes me nervous when he doesn't have a peer connection. The last time he was sent someone on his own, it didn't work out for him at all. 

Still, very nice of the program to think about travel, distance, time.  Everyone in his program lives in Virginia, and as a result, they all are assigned to hospitals in Virginia. Because we live in Maryland,  and they don't have contracts in Maryland, they have contracts with DC. They decided it would be easier on Geoff to be somewhere close, so he wouldn't be spending 2 hours each way to get to a hospital far afield. 

I appreciate them putting him close, where he is it's 1/2 hour away metro-wise, and he left, and I'm not joking, at 5:45am to be there for 8am. Remember, on time is late. I am sure his anxiety was elevated. Normally he is noisy as heck in the morning but I didn't even hear him leave, or get up, make breakfast and coffee. And neither did the dog. 

He probably got there at 6:30 with the 10 minute walk from the house. 

He texted me to say he was on break and things were going well, he said it is a very busy location. We are also patients in this practice, using a different location close to home here (too bad he didn't get placed here! 5 minutes away!), He's getting insight into how our insurance and doctors work, in addition to getting his clinical done. 

In your heart of hearts, dear reader, if you can spare a few seconds on Wednesdays and Fridays to pray for him, or just ... think on him. He could use the support of the universe, energy, holy spirit, whatever you want to label it. He needs this win. needs it. 

I just met with the dietician through my health care provider, and she is a riot. We looked over all my labs and she said the triglyceride result could be related to alcohol but also wanted to know how close to the last time one had alcohol to really judge. She suggested talking to the doctor to see how far apart readings can/should be done and going alcohol free for that period. 

Seeing as I was just on vacation, and I am very honest in everything I tracked I will admit that some daily consumption happened (I haven't had anything since Sunday), I'd almost ponder that there may have been too much consumed over the trip and it all adds up so close to the date of the reading. But when I look at last winter, it was much lower? Why? What's the cause? 

Based on some Dr. Googling, I'm looking at what helps to lower the reading. We'll see what is recommended for a retest.  More to come on that. 

We also had a really great discussion about bodies as we age and how setting a goal but not meeting it isn't the end of the world - some bodies tell you "this is where we are most comfortable weight-wise" and you just should aim to be metabolically healthy around that weight. She said so many doctors just focus on weight, weight, weight, but looking at my test results and looking forward to the next round and seeing good progress, that makes he happy. And everyone should just focus on a healthy body - not a skinny body. Some skinny bodies are very sick. 

I'd told her in 2019 I set the goal to get to 199 pounds, and the pandemic hit, and slowed me down. But I honestly maybe can kind of see that happening by January if I just aim there. We talked about realistic goals. I know I'll never weigh 130 again, but could 180 be a reality? 

Oh and I should have asked her diet wise, what I could do, if anything, to target my middle? Make that smaller? Dropping pants sizes in the past couple years from size 22 to 16 is a big deal but I still have to wear really big shirts because I'm round. Metabolically - what's up with how to target this? I'll make a note to ask her in another chat. 

Anyway - here is a picture of Phineas. He wants me to feed him dinner and he's moaning longingly.

digits: 

exercise: Dedicated 10+7 squeezed in the steps after dinner 

blood glucose:
no morning reader: my battery died in the glucose meter so picked up a new battery at 5pm-ish.

6pm: 178
xpm - not going to do a before bed reading, i have 1 strip left and I want to save it for tomorrow. I think the box i ordered will arrive tomorrow (hopefully)

food
coffee, water throughout the day
9:00am: slice of 12 grain bread w/peanut butter (approx 25 g carbs total) Only 1 slice even though I wanted 2.
12:45: bowl of chicken salad; metformin
3:45pm: trail mix
6:15pm grilled chicken breast on top of a salad ("italian" mix, cucumber, tomato) 
8:45pm  metformin+jardiance (forgot to take with dinner); handful of trail mix